The Miracles and Dangers of Water

A miracle cure-all? What single thing can do all the following and more?

• Aid digestion and help elimination
• Keep cholesterol levels down
• Protect the body against viruses and infections
• Release energy, help weight control, reduce water retention
• Flush poisons from the blood
• Help mental focus and nerve function
• Help the heart beat, eyes see and muscles flex

A new found miracle cure-all? No. Water has been around for millions of years. In fact it covers over two-thirds of the earth's surface. Next to oxygen, water is the most crucial element in one's body. Water is vital, yet few understand the tremendous importance of water for one's health. Water impacts the biochemistry of the whole body, affecting every organ function and even how one feels.

Beware of what you drink
We all know that it's important to drink water, but any kind of water? Even though two-thirds of the earth's surface is covered in water, little is fit for drinking. The very water that comes from your tap has been known to contain arsenic, asbestos, barium, cadmium, copper, lead, gasoline, giardiasis, nitrates, PCB, radioactive wastes, radon, TCE and other toxic substances.

An ABC news exposé revealed the shocking fact that over 700 chemicals have already been documented in our drinking water. Furthermore, recent studies show that microbes in tap water may be responsible for 1 in 3 cases of gastro-intestinal illnesses. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) ranks polluted drinking water as one of the top four environmental hazards to our health.

Ironically, chlorine, which is supposed to prevent disease, has been shown to produce carcinogenic (cancer-causing) wastes when combined with other substances in water. According to a study by the National Cancer Institute, the risk of bladder cancer in people drinking chlorinated water is increased by 80%. Chlorine is absorbed even more so through the skin during showers.

Besides, chlorine has not been found to be all that effective in killing all the 'bugs'. In 1987, 13,000 people fell ill in one city in Georgia, after drinking water which was infected by a chlorine-resistant parasite called cryptosporidium. Other shocking facts reveal that 250 million tons of toxic waste are dumped in America yearly. A review of the nation's 1000 most hazardous waste dumps revealed that 4 our of 5 sites leaked toxins into the ground water. Pesticides are a big problem, too. It would seem that the most obvious culprits are farmers. Yet suburbanites use up to two-and-a-half times more pesticides per acre than farmers, simply to keep their lawns green and weed free.

As you can see not all water is safe for drinking. Where can we find safe drinking water? Well more and more of us are resorting to the very expensive solution - bottled water. The estimated cost of bottled water is 300 - 1200 times the cost of tap water. However, it has been discovered that sometimes they are nothing more than glorified tap water. A New York State department of Health study found that more than 50% of bottled water contained two or more toxic compounds and 80% of them had evidence of pathogenic bacteria.

So what is the solution? Where can we find safe drinking water? The simplest solution is to get a good water filter. Whilst some of the best ones rather expensive, there are some good ones that are reasonably priced. One of these include Granular Activated Carbon Filters (GAC) which produce extremely porous, small granules which attract and hold the organic on its surface. The surface area per granule is very high and on pound of GAC can provide a surface area of 125 acres.

GAC has the capacity to remove or reduce many organic chemicals, most halosenated organic compounds like polycholorinated biphenyls (PCB's), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB's), Chlorine, by-products of chlorination such as chloroform and various odours and tastes. In the Carbon Absorption Handbook it lists over 60 various substances that GAC can help with removing. While nobody knows for sure if GAC will remove all organic chemicals from water, it is one of the best treatments on the market today.